As an industry, we must shoulder a large portion of the responsibility for these problems. It would be easy to blame the economy, changing government policy or even cultural values. The truth is that we need to do a much better job building top performing teams and creating an environment that promotes excellence.
One of the criticisms of the restaurant industry is the working conditions. The nature of the business demands that we staff for peak periods during nights, weekends and holidays, the very times that most other people are enjoying family and friends. Add to this the long hours, often without breaks, pay just above minimum wage and intense working environments, and we can quickly see why hospitality work has lost its lustre.
Reality television has also contributed to negative public attitudes about the industry and discouraged new entrants into the labour pool. Narcissistic bosses flying into a rage, staff breakdowns, demanding customers and unsafe working conditions may be ratings grabbers, but do little to attract people to the industry. If we hope to change perceptions and attract more good people into our ranks, there are a few important steps that every operator needs to consider. At the top of the list is to treat our employees fairly and with respect. This can be demonstrated in several ways:
- Adhere to labour legislation and fair work practices. Sensible shifts with entitled breaks provided, appropriate schedules with reasonably accurate shift start and end times, and pay for all hours worked would be standard in most industries, but need more consistent compliance in foodservice.
- Create a culture of professionalism. Good employees want to feel proud of the companies they work for, and this can be fostered through the quality of the operating environment. Establishing and communicating organizational goals, rational and effective decision-making, supportive supervision and control, and ongoing feedback are just some of the ways to demonstrate your commitment to high standards.
- Maintain a safe workplace. There are too many injuries, of varying degrees of severity, resulting from preventable causes. Poor cleaning and maintenance, broken and worn-out equipment, and lack of safety training are some of the common risks that employees face. The well-being of our people must be paramount.
- Set employees up for success. Clear direction, when combined with a thorough and effective training program, not only enhances staff performance, it increases job satisfaction exponentially. Our teams want to know what is expected of them and feel confident they have the tools needed to carry out their duties.
Bridge the gap
Women and visible minorities are substantially underrepresented at senior management level, but they often are the majority on the front-line. Closing the wage gap for these groups will also demonstrate your organization’s (and the industry’s) commitment to fair treatment for all employees. Being able to attract a more diverse workforce with the realistic prospect of career advancement will provide an organization with hard working and loyal personnel.
Retaining great people takes a commitment from management to create a positive work environment, demonstrate professional leadership, and develop a business model that promotes organizational and individual success.
In their efforts to reduce turnover and maintain staff harmony, however, many operators lower their expectations and sacrifice performance and quality. This approach may work in the short-run, but over time it can hurt your reputation and finances. This leads to cuts, difficulties reintroducing more rigorous standards, and good employees leaving for better opportunities.
Develop an employee strategy
How can managers create an attractive and supportive workplace, while at the same time develop a top performing team? The objectives are not mutually exclusive and a clear employee strategy should identify practices that will advance the organization towards achieving its goals.
To create an employee strategy, management must discuss and determine their human resource objectives. These goals should relate to, and support, the broader organizational strategy. Included would be a clear description of the roles, responsibilities and rights of an employee working for your operation. This could then be communicated to staff through typical documents such as an employee handbook, training materials or a set of standard operating procedures. There are several things to consider for an effective employee strategy.
Focus on outcomes
Focus on describing desired outcomes, standards and behaviour as opposed to just a checklist of rules and policies. Relate everything back to the organization’s goals of guest service and experience. For example, describe how your staff are the front-line face of your operation and that their attire, grooming and cleanliness create impressions in your guests’ minds. Explain what you want those impressions to be, and then provide guidelines for uniforms and dress code.
This will help employees understand why attending to their personal appearance is important, and how the organization’s dress code supports its broader objectives. Each restaurant can establish a standard uniform, describe allowable variations, or provide parameters and examples to guide the employee’s personal attire choices. The outcome should be greater support and adherence by employees, as well as happy customers.
You can also create satisfied employees who act in a manner consistent with management’s objectives by outlining how staff should interact with each other. Describing the type of open, fair, safe and equitable working environment you desire will influence how staff treat each other, and support one another. This can address potential problem areas such as employee relationships, masculine kitchen culture, inappropriate language, harassment and breaking down the front-of-house/back-of-house divide.
Team members that respect each other, work together towards common goals, and are committed to excellence becomes not just a hope, but an expectation. While the relationship between management and staff should clarify of roles and accountability, it should also reinforce objectives such as equitable and fair employment conditions, feedback and promotion, and conflict resolution. This also binds the management team to carrying out these practices and developing their people.
Manage social media use
Operators and managers also need to address an employee’s personal behaviour, as well as their role and responsibility to the employer. Ensure that every employee understands that their actions, both at and outside of work, reflect on the organization. This includes use of social media: provide guidance or limitations on employee comments that may negatively reflect on the operation. It is not unreasonable that the staff we hire to help us on the job should not being hurting us when off the clock.
To promote compliance, a “Code of Personal Conduct” can be included, which acts as a guarantee between the employee and the firm. This document should be signed by the new employee and management as part of the conditions of employment offer, and should state that the organization’s goals, standards of performance, and behaviour expectations are understood and supported, and that every effort will be made by all parties to achieve the stated objectives.
With some effort and planning, organizations can benefit from the skills and efforts of their talented staff, while creating a culture that respects people and promotes excellence. More importantly, your guests will be wowed by the service provided from a dynamic and motivated team.
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About the author:
David Swanston is a hospitality and foodservice consultant, principal of Focused Industry Training Seminars and is an instructor at major Canadian university business schools. Since 1997 he has helped a wide variety of organizations develop and launch new concepts, turn around troubled operations, and improve sales, profits, controls and efficiency. To learn more about how he can help you improve performance, contact him directly at 905.331.6115 or [email protected].
